This invention relates to the field of wood or log splitters for attachment to pre-existing hydraulic or other power sources, such as the hydraulic systems of many modern farm tractors and the like.
There are a number of log splitting devices already known in this general field, including those disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,155,385; 4,111,245; 4,073,325; 4,019,549; 3,814,152; 3,780,779; 3,760,854; 3,721,281; 3,461,927; 3,319,675; 3,280,864; 2,966,180; 2,820,493. There are certain similarities between the log or wood splitting and cutting devices of those prior art patents and the subject invention of this application, but there are a number of differences and improvements in the present invention over the prior art which will become obvious as the invention is described in detail herein below.
The present invention is particularly well adapted for use with tractors having hydraulic powered end loaders of the type which use two hydraulic cylinders to manipulate the bucket, one on each side. With such tractors, the bucket is tipped over as far as it will go by extension of the hydraulic cylinder rams and lowered to the ground with the bucket in substantially an upside-down position. The ram of one hydraulic cylinder is disconnected from the bucket at one side, leaving the one on the other side of the bucket still connected. The frame of the log splitting device in accordance with this invention is then attached to the bucket at the previous hydraulic cylinder connection and to the corresponding arm of the end loader in such a way that the frame of the log splitting device prevents the end loader bucket from pivoting relative to the end loader arm. In this way, the opposite hydraulic cylinder which is still connected to the end loader bucket in the extended position is kept immobilized (since the bucket cannot pivot while the frame of the log splitting device is connected at the other side to both the end loader arm and end loader bucket to hold them rigid relative to each other). By keeping the opposite side hydraulic cylinder immobilized in the extended position, the full force of the tractor's hydraulic system is thereupon diverted to the other hydraulic cylinder which is now connected to the ram head of the log splitting device for reciprocal movement toward and away from the splitting wedge member. In this way, the speed of such reciprocal movement is increased and the force exerted by the hydraulic cylinder connected to the log splitting device is increased over what it would be if the opposite side hydraulic cylinder were free to also move forward and backward.
The tipped-over bucket of the end loader resting on the ground provides a solid base for the log splitting device in accordance with this invention to rest on while log splitting operations are conducted.